My 4-year-old only eats fries, popcorn, chips, dry cereal, ice cream and jello. No hot food. What do I do?

Answer 1

well cook fries in the oven... it is healthier.
don't put salt or anything on popcorn, popcorn got good fibers.
chips? buy low fat chips.
dry cereal? buy sugarless cereal, like KIX
ice cream? buy low fat ice cream
jello? buy low fat jello.
Cook some veggie pizza with less cheese and no meat that looks delicious...

Answer 2

He doesn't need to eat hot food, fruit and veggies are great cold. And really anything can be served cold soup, meat, etc. Just put it in the fridge.

Seriously your kid can only eat what you offer, if you don't have any ice cream, jello, popcorn or chips in the house he can't eat them

Answer 3

My 3 year old used to be like that. After eliminating that there was a physical problem by taking him to the dentist had having his teeth checked out, I started giving him choices and letting him me make snacks and meals. By choices I mean that I would ask if he wants celery sticks or baby carrots, did he want ranch dressing or ceasar dressing to dip, did he want a peanut butter sandwich or a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Once he was involved in what was happening, and he felt he had a choice in what he was eating, then getting him to eat healthy food became a breeze. And I have to agree with most people on here, your child WILL NOT starve themselves. I used to think the same thing, and I spoke to the pediatrician, and was told to have snacks available to him at all times, and when he's hungry, he'll eat. And that you are the parent, and it is your responsibility to make sure that the child grows up to be the best that he can be, and that includes having healthy eating habits.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 4

Make meals with real food -- don't serve fries, popcorn, chips, dry cereal, ice cream and jello. If he/she gets hungry he/she will eat eventually. Get vitamins to make sure your child gets at least some nutrition. Set a good example. My child LOVED vegetables. Know why? Because WE ate lots of them and he wanted to be like mom and dad.

Answer 5

well unless he's going to the store and buying these things, i believe it's going to fall on the adult's shoulders here. stop giving them to the child. this is pretty simple, the child will eat what they want and if it's only treats it's because it's what you have placed in front of them. give a wide variety, but only small choices at a time. like green beans and another healthy choice. the child will eat something when they are hungry enough. now is the time to teach them and get them to like good stuff. this behavior is normal for a toddler, but it's you that has to stop putting these things in front of them. if i had my choice between ice cream and peas, i'm going to take ice cream, even though i know better. a young child has no real self control yet and doesn't know better until you teach them better.

Answer 6

one thing may be to have the whole family eat together. if you already have this covered, then all you can do is to keep introducing a variety of hot foods until something works. my main cocern is where are the fruits and vegies.
add rasins or berries to the cereal or popcorn. bananas in the jello. carrot sticks and string cheese.
hope this helps.

Answer 7

try this. make chicken nuggets and put them in the fridge til they are cold. serve with his fav condiment like ketchup or mustard. if he likes it, slowly upgrade to REAL chicken that has been in the fridge. you can try this with anything really (if the tempurature is the problem) if he only wants junk food then try this:
i know it will seem cruel, but ihave read it in lots of places and it has worked for me...
dont buy any junk food, and dont give him any of whats left in the house right now. (cereal is healthy depending on what kind it is. my daughter loves KIX and LIFE) but whenever he is hungry heres what you do:
1. sit him at the table and place the healthy food you want him to eat in front of him
2. let him decide weather he will eat it and how much.
3. if he eats it, good for you. you are super mommy! if he doesnt want to eat it, calmly explain to him (no matter how bad the tantrum is) that this is whats for dinner/etc and thats what he has to eat
4. if he doesnt want to eat it, TELL HIM THATS FINE AND LET HIM LEAVE THE TABLE
5. this is the most important part!!! DO NOT GIVE HIM ANYTHING TO EAT FOR ONE WHOLE HOUR!!!! if he tells you he is hungry tell him he should have eaten when he had the chance. AFTER THE HOUR HAS GONE BY give him the SAME food you tried to give him an hour ago and tell him thats what is on the menu and nothing else.
6. if he still wont eat, repeat the whole process only this time try again after 30 mins instead of another hour. keep doing this AS LONG AS IT TAKES for him to realize that YOU are the parent and he has to do what you tell him to. it took me 2 DAYS to get my daughter to eat a meal. it may take you a few hours or it may take several days.

I AM TELLING YOU DO NOT GIVE UP!!!
like i said it sounds really mean and cruel to deprive your child of food, and yes your son will be hunrgy for a while, but when he gets on the right track he will be eating healthier which is VERY important.

also another very important part of this plan....

whenever he does eat a whole meal (no matter if it took 3 tries or 30) make sure you reward him for eating a whole meal, not with other food, but maybe an extra 15 mins of his favorite thing (like bathtime or tv time) or something more creative.

good luck. and remember you are the parent. you make the rules. it is your job to set boundaries and it is his job to stay within them.

you have worked hard raising him for the past 4 years. and you will have to work hard for the next 20 or so. (boys still need their mommies even when they are all grown up, who else will teach them how to treat a lady?)

Answer 8

You are the parent, Why are you giving this rubbish to your son and do not say because he will not eat any thing else. Have you ever heard of the word NO. Let him scream and carry on, give healthy food, veg's fruit and meat and tell him eat this because if you keep eating the other rubbish you will end up dead or very ill. That is true, so just tell him

Answer 9

Maybe you should stop stocking all those food and let him eat the healthy food when he is hungry....he will eventually right, if you don't have any of those junk food? It will takes more than 1 week for him to adjust, it won't be easy....but you want to have a healthy child and not obese child, which is going to ruin his life later on.....you are his parent and you can do to stop what you think is not right. Good luck trying.

Answer 10

Check with your pediatrician first, but I would suggest getting your child some supplemental drinks for their nutritional value, like Boost or Ensure. Also, I read somewhere that cantaloupe has a lot of vitamins and such that kids need. I wouldn't stress about the hot food so much. My son was always eating spaghetti-o's and chicken nuggets.